Woman faked violent hate crime attack, police say

Charlie Rogers, 33, arrested on suspicion of false reporting

Lincoln police arrested a woman who told police that she was the victim of a hate crime.

Charlie Rogers, 33, told police that three masked men entered her home, tied her up and assaulted her on July 22.

Rogers said the three attackers painted homophobic slurs on the walls of her home and carved them into her skin.

Details about the case prompted rallies that drew hundreds of people outside the Nebraska Capitol and at an Omaha park.

An arrest warrant for Rogers said she provided information she knew to be false to police with the "intent to instigate an investigation of an alleged criminal matter."

Rogers was arrested Tuesday and charged with false reporting. She was released from jail later in the day.

False reporting is a Class I misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine.

Investigators said that a pair of gloves, zip ties, knife snap blades and a red utility knife found in Rogers' home were purchased at a Lincoln hardware store, where a clerk believed it was Rogers who purchased the items.

Testing on the gloves showed that Rogers DNA profile was a major contributor to the DNA on the inside of the gloves, according to court documents. No male DNA was found on the gloves, investigators said.

"She had told the investigators initially that the gloves were the only things left behind by her assailants and that they were not hers," Lincoln Police Chief Jim Peschong said.

Investigators also said that a forensic pathologist believes the cuts on Rogers' body were self-inflicted or done with her approval.

The doctor said the cuts appeared superficial and symmetrical, avoiding sensitive areas of the body, and followed Rogers' frame of reference for reading and writing.

Police said they believe Rogers filed another false report in July when she told police that someone had carved a cross on her chest in a separate incident.

Investigators said Rogers posted a message online four days before the alleged attack saying that she wanted to be a catalyst for change.

Woman who helped Rogers says she feels betrayed

Rogers' neighbor, Linda Rappl, was the one who Rogers asked for help after the alleged incident.

"When she was standing at my door, I truly believed her. I had no reason to doubt what happened; what she said happened," Rappl said.

Rogers' attorney, Brett McArthur, said he disagreed with allegations that Rogers faked the attack.

"She's maintained the same story throughout that she was assaulted and she denies the allegations and that she had any complicity in this at all," he said.

Rappl said she just hoped Rogers would get the help she needs.

"I think she did it for a cause, but it will have a negative impact on the cause," she said. "This whole thing has really shaken my faith in humanity."

Community reacts to charge of false hate crime

Vigil organizer Erin Anderson said a vigil held at Memorial Park shortly after Rogers' alleged incident changed her life.

"I walked the streets feeling safer -- my head held high. I felt pride. I felt secure. I felt like we had a family," she said.

Anderson said she hoped that family would hold together after hearing that Rogers may have faked the attack.

"My heart went out to her that I know she's in pain," Anderson said.

Heartland Pride President Beth Rigatuso said it points to a deeper issue if the accusations against Rogers are true.

"If in fact she did do this to herself, it points to a much larger issue of self-hatred," Rigatuso said. "It doesn't diminish the fact that hate crimes happen all the time all across the U.S."

Rigatuso said she hopes that the lesson of courage still reaches others.

"Be proud of who you are. There is absolutely no reason to not be proud of who you are," she said.

Rigatuso said that support was still strong for those who need it

"I would not change for one moment my response to this, because these things happen. I'm not going to let it for once stop me from speaking out and being strong," she said.

She said she hopes to raise money and awareness about people who are LGBTQ and in crisis.

Copyright 2012 byKETV.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.